“Miss, this is the place.” Chun Tao pointed to the eastern edge of the bamboo grove. “They say the lotus pond here had already dried up. When the young lady fell in, she wasn’t hurt. But the Marquis loved her like a treasure, so he immediately ordered the pond to be filled.”
Bo Ruoyou frowned. “The young lady was only six years old then, and already ill. She should have been carefully watched. How could she have fallen in?”
Chun Tao shook her head. “This servant does not know.”
The place was remote. Though the accident had happened ten years ago, a young lady suffering from hysteria and under constant care could not have simply fallen into the pond. Could it be that the killer had already acted back then?
“Has the young lady had attendants who have served her for more than ten years?”
Chun Tao looked troubled. “Miss, I do not know. Several elder maids have cared for her for a long time, but whether it has been ten years, I truly cannot say.”
By now daylight had spread, a winter sun climbing above the clouds. After days of gloom, the sky was finally clear. Bo Ruoyou lifted her gaze. “No matter. I will ask others.”
Huo Weilou had already ordered the servants to be questioned that day. So when Bo Ruoyou reached the front courtyard, He Cheng was there with officers. She quickly approached and drew him aside. “Sir, have the attendants of the young lady been questioned?”
He Cheng replied: “Of course. These past days, she has always had people with her. The case has nothing to do with her.”
Bo Ruoyou thought for a moment. “I do not mean witnesses now. I mean her childhood. I heard she was ill then, and not long after, fell into the lotus pond. These are matters from ten years ago.”
He Cheng’s brows furrowed. “Ten years ago, she was only five or six. Do you suspect the killer acted even then?”
Bo Ruoyou shook her head. “I cannot say. But last night, Sha Gu happened to appear at the edge of the grove. The young lady claimed she was picking plum blossoms, but I find it strange. And the Eldest Madam, without reason, took Sha Gu in and cherished her, almost as if she were her own daughter…”
At this point, Bo Ruoyou’s expression suddenly changed. “Sir, did Nanny Yu not say that she went to the ancestral hall because of the death of a concubine?”
That day, Bo Ruoyou had not gone to the ancestral hall and had not heard Nanny Yu’s explanation herself.
He Cheng said: “Yes. She claimed that while attending the birth of one of the Marquis’s concubines, both mother and child died. Because of this, the Marquis was left without a son, and the Old Madam punished her by sending her to guard the ancestral hall.”
Bo Ruoyou shook her head. “No, that explanation is not right.”
“What is wrong with it?” A deep voice came from behind.
Bo Ruoyou turned to see Huo Weilou arriving with the guards. She bowed, then recounted what she had seen in Sha Gu’s room the previous night—the sachet—and repeated Chun Tao’s words. “If the Eldest Madam had made only one sachet, giving it solely to Sha Gu, it could be explained as her illness causing her to mistake someone. But she clearly made two.”
“Nanny Yu said the Marquis once had a concubine who died in childbirth, but Fourth Master Zheng said the Marquis was upright and would never take a concubine. And when I saw Second and Third Masters after their misfortunes, I saw only the Madams, never any concubine. Moreover, the estate has no servants who have served more than fifteen years, so no one knows the truth of that time. Thus, whether this concubine ever existed is doubtful.”
Bo Ruoyou continued: “Looking at the estate’s situation, Nanny Yu said she was sent to the ancestral hall because of the concubine’s death. But why then did the one who later went mad turn out to be the Eldest Madam herself? Fourth Master Zheng said her illness began the year after she gave birth to the young lady. Therefore, I suspect that what Nanny Yu spoke of was not a concubine at all—but the Madam herself!”
Huo Weilou’s eyes darkened. “Go on.”
Bo Ruoyou pressed her lips together. “I suspect her child died young, and she fell ill because of it.”
She paused, then her expression shifted again. “No… not a son. Perhaps… perhaps it was a daughter who died…”
Fifteen years ago, had the Eldest Madam lost a daughter? Was that why she became mad?
He Cheng’s face changed. “There is no proof…”
“If the Madam had lost a son, she would likely show special affection toward a boy of similar age.”
He Cheng added: “But Sha Gu is ugly…”
At this, even Bo Ruoyou could not think clearly. She said only: “I noticed Sha Gu’s brows and eyes resemble the young lady’s by three parts. Perhaps that is why the Eldest Madam pitied her at first sight.”
Her tone was hesitant. Even she had not noticed the resemblance immediately. Could the Eldest Madam, in her confused state, truly recognize it at a glance? Especially when Sha Gu’s scarred face would strike most people as frightening.
He Cheng, uncertain, turned to Huo Weilou. But Huo Weilou seemed deep in thought. “Where is the Daoist?”
He Cheng quickly replied: “In the side chamber, still calculating. I will go check at once.”
“Make sure he calculates precisely the dates of the sixteenth year of Jianhe.”
If the Eldest Madam truly bore a daughter, then it would match what Zheng Wenrong said—that it was the year after Zheng Yunni was born.
He Cheng immediately agreed, but then paused as realization struck. “Marquis, do you suspect that this murder case is connected to that child?”
Huo Weilou nodded. “Coroner Bo’s words are not without reason. And since the case began, everyone in the estate has kept silent. Even Nanny Yu has concealed much. Clearly, they are hiding a secret of the household.”
He Cheng’s eyes lit up and he hurried out to find the Daoist.
Bo Ruoyou quickly said to Huo Weilou: “Please, Marquis, question the attendants of the young lady. Ask about her childhood illness, her accident falling into the lotus pond, and the incident when she nearly burned. I heard this happened after her illness, so perhaps something can be learned.”
Seeing Huo Weilou’s eyes darken, Bo Ruoyou recounted Chun Tao’s words and described her visit to the bamboo grove that morning. “That place is remote. At the time, the young lady was still ill. How could she have fallen in without cause? I cannot be certain this is connected to the case, but it feels strange.”
Huo Weilou had not known she had investigated further. His gaze deepened as he summoned the guards and gave instructions. Soon, they returned to report: “Marquis, the maids serving the young lady all entered the estate eight years ago. They know nothing of events from that time.”
At this, Huo Weilou’s brows rose. For a noble young lady, attendants usually served from childhood. Yet Zheng Yunni’s maids had all entered only eight years ago. His eyes sharpened. “Summon the steward who has served thirteen years. Bring all who have served more than ten years.”
The steward soon arrived at the main hall. Huo Weilou sat in the chief seat, his gaze heavy, his presence commanding. The steward bowed, wiping sweat from his brow.
Huo Weilou asked: “Ten years ago, were you serving in the estate?”
The steward nodded. “Yes, ten years ago I was in charge of purchases for the Marquis’s household.”
Huo Weilou said: “Do you know how the young lady came to suffer hysteria?”
The steward frowned, recalling. “It was a winter night, around mid-month. The young lady disappeared for one night. When she was found again, she was not herself.”
Huo Weilou’s brows tightened. “Disappeared for a night?”
The steward nodded. “Though it has been long, the matter was grave at the time. The young lady was precious, and no mistake could be tolerated. That night, she vanished, and the whole estate searched in vain. By the next morning, she appeared on her own—but she had fallen into hysteria.”
“How did she return on her own?”
The steward thought again. “It seems she was found in the eastern bamboo grove. When discovered, she was frozen stiff, filthy all over. Yet the grove had been searched the night before, and no trace of her was found. Later, no matter how she was questioned, the young lady seemed unable to recall where she had gone that night. Many people knew of this, and inevitably talk of spirits and ghosts spread. Eventually, the Old Madam ordered that the matter never be mentioned again, and everyone kept silent.”
Once again—the eastern bamboo grove.
Bo Ruoyou’s fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves.
Huo Weilou’s gaze lingered for a moment before he asked: “Later, before her illness was cured, she fell into the lotus pond. Do you know of this?”
The steward’s face showed fear, his voice turning distant. “Speaking of that… it was even stranger…”
Author’s Note: The truth lies just ahead.